Growthmates

In this FINAL episode of season "In the Company of Women", Kate Syuma dives into a conversation with Sera Tajima, Conscious Tech Advisor, angel investor, and former product designer at Webflow and Zendesk, to explore her journey into climate tech advisory and angel investing. Sera shares how her father's passing became a pivotal moment that shaped her perspective, how her background in product design influences her approach to climate tech startups, and why authenticity is the key to finding meaningful partnerships in the conscious tech space.Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.—One more special update for you

In this episode, Kate Syuma dives into a conversation with Jennifer Phan, CEO and Co-Founder at Passionfroot, and former Venture Capital investor, to explore the unconventional path from corporate career to creator to tech founder. Jen shares how her immigrant family's entrepreneurial journey shaped her perspective, how her background in venture capital influences her fundraising and team-building approach, and why intentional growth and AI-powered efficiency are the keys to sustainable success in today's volatile tech landscape.Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.—Want to become a post sponsor and share your product story or a new job opening with 5,600+ subscribers from companies like Amplitude, Intercom, Miro, Atlassian, Grammarly, Framer, and more?I'm opening up the calendar and planning new sponsorships for 2025 — grab your slot here: https://calendly.com/kate-syuma/growthmates-intro?month=2025-04—Exciting news! I've launched a new cohort of my 3-week growth course, and there's still time to join! Dive into proven strategies, behavioral science insights, and real-world examples to build your growth roadmap with hands-on feedback from me. Use promo code "growthmates" for $100 off: https://maven.com/growthmates/user-centric-product-led-growth?promoCode=growthmates—Welcome to Growthmates with Kate Syuma — Growth Advisor, ex-Miro. This season, “In the Company of Women,” is about celebrating women who successfully balance work, family, and creative passions while building meaningful careers.Growthmates is where top product and growth leaders share real strategies and insights to help you turn ideas into successful products. Learn from experts at Dropbox, Adobe, Amplitude, Canva, and more in deep dive interviews with Kate Syuma, ex-Miro Head of Growth Design and founder of Growthmates.Jennifer took an unconventional path, transitioning from venture capital investor to co-founder of Passionfroot — a platform empowering creators to monetize and brands to discover talent. Her journey was shaped by pandemic reflection, from newsletter creator to identifying a critical gap in the creator economy. Instead of following traditional playbooks, they built a lean, intentional company centered on creator needs, data-driven decisions, and sustainable growth.They also share insights on building a two-sided marketplace, leveraging VC experience for fundraising, and maintaining founder wellbeing through structured routines.Tune in to hear Jen's perspective on immigrant entrepreneurship, the power of intentional choices over sacrifices, and why small, effective teams outperform bloated startups.

In this episode, Kate Syuma dives into a conversation with Lexie Barnhorn, former Head of Social and Influencer at Notion, to discuss her journey from small-town Ohio to the heart of San Francisco's tech scene. Lexie shares how she built Notion's social presence, infused B2B marketing with pop culture, and launched viral campaigns like "Notion Faces." She also offers practical advice for startups on influencer marketing and opens up about maintaining mental health in high-stress roles, including her experience using AI as a self-therapy tool — ultimately leading her to her next chapter at Anthropic.Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.—This episode is brought to you by Amplitude — check their Session Replay, which lets you watch real user sessions right inside your analytics flow: https://amplitude.com/session-replay—Exciting news! I've launched a new cohort of my 3-week growth course, and there's still time to join! Dive into proven strategies, behavioral science insights, and real-world examples to build your growth roadmap with hands-on feedback from me. Use promo code "growthmates" for $100 off: https://maven.com/growthmates/user-centric-product-led-growth?promoCode=growthmates—Welcome to Growthmates with Kate Syuma — Growth Advisor, ex-Miro. This season, “In the Company of Women,” is about celebrating women who successfully balance work, family, and creative passions while building meaningful careers.Growthmates is where top product and growth leaders share real strategies and insights to help you turn ideas into successful products. Learn from experts at Dropbox, Adobe, Amplitude, Canva, and more in deep dive interviews with Kate Syuma, ex-Miro Head of Growth Design and founder of Growthmates.Lexie took an unexpected path from consumer marketing to leading social and influencer strategy at Notion, where she built viral campaigns like "Notion Faces" and collaborated with cultural icons like Snoop Dogg. She shares her approach to community-led growth, structuring influencer partnerships for maximum impact, and why authenticity matters more than polished scripts.Lexie also opens up about balancing high-stress roles and how using AI as a self-therapy tool led her to her next chapter at Anthropic.Tune in to hear her insights on building standout marketing strategies, fostering genuine brand connections, and navigating career transitions in tech.

In this episode, Kate Syuma dives into a conversation with Mallory Contois, Head of Community & Mercury Raise at Mercury, and founder of The Old Girls Club, to explore her journey from Pinterest to building a thriving community. Mallory shares how overcoming cancer shaped her perspective, how her psychology background influences product and community growth, and why empathy is the key to creating meaningful connections in tech.Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.—This episode is brought to you by Amplitude — сheck new Guides and Surveys to deliver helpful, well-timed messages: https://amplitude.com/guides-and-surveys—One more special update for you

In this episode, Kate Syuma dives into a conversation with Marie Martens, co-founder of Tally, to explore the journey of building a profitable business around a product that is 99% free.Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.—This episode is brought to you by Amplitude — сheck new Guides and Surveys to deliver helpful, well-timed messages: https://amplitude.com/guides-and-surveys—One more special update for you

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.This episode is brought to you by Amplitude — сheck new Guides and Surveys to deliver helpful, well-timed messages: https://amplitude.com/guides-and-surveys —Welcome to Growthmates with Kate Syuma — Growth Advisor, ex-Miro. This season, “In the Company of Women,” is about celebrating women who successfully balance work, family, and creative passions while building meaningful careers.Growthmates is a place to connect with inspiring leaders and help you grow—personally and professionally. Learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Canva, Loom, and more build world-class products and growth cultures.In this episode, Kate Syuma and Elena Verna dive into a conversation about career evolution, growth strategies, and navigating transitions. With experience at SurveyMonkey, Miro, Dropbox, Reforge, and Malwarebytes, Elena shares her journey from leading growth at major companies to building a successful solopreneurship and transitioning back to a full-time role.They explore the non-linear career shifts, defining your "superpower zone," and setting boundaries for sustainable success. Elena also breaks down how companies can move from product-led growth to product-led sales, sharing insights on recognizing early signals and layering strategies for long-term growth.

Welcome to Growthmates with Kate Syuma — Growth advisor, previously Head of Growth Design at Miro. I'm building Growthmates as a place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Canva, Loom, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Get all episodes and a free playbook for Growth teams on our brand-new website — growthmates.club, and press follow to support us on your favorite platforms.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).In this episode: We're wrapping up this incredible season with a special twist! For the first time, host Kate Syuma switches roles and becomes the guest. Kate is interviewed by her friend and former colleague, Lana Kul, in an honest and vulnerable conversation about her first year as a solopreneur.—Brought to you by Command.ai — a user-focused platform offering an alternative to traditional popups or chatbots. Their AI “Copilot” answers questions, performs actions, and simplifies complex tasks. Use “Nudges” to guide users with timely, relevant messages, all within a no-code platform. Perfect for Product, Support, and Marketing teams to positively influence user behavior while respecting their needs:—Key highlights from this episode

Welcome to Growthmates with Kate Syuma — Growth advisor, previously Head of Growth Design at Miro. I'm building Growthmates as a place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Canva, Loom, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Get all episodes and a free playbook for Growth teams on our brand-new website — growthmates.club, and press follow to support us on your favorite platforms.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).In this episode, Kate speaks with Chetana Deorah , a seasoned design leader who shares her journey across renowned companies like Yahoo!, Netflix, and Coursera, along with her transition to building a community-driven vegan pizza initiative. Chetana opens up about navigating the intersection of creativity, leadership, and self-reflection while balancing corporate and personal passions.—Brought to you by Command.ai — a user-focused platform offering an alternative to traditional popups or chatbots. Their AI “Copilot” answers questions, performs actions, and simplifies complex tasks. Use “Nudges” to guide users with timely, relevant messages, all within a no-code platform. Perfect for Product, Support, and Marketing teams to positively influence user behavior while respecting their needs:—Key highlights from this episode

Welcome to Growthmates with Kate Syuma — Growth advisor, previously Head of Growth Design at Miro. I'm building Growthmates as a place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Canva, Loom, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Get all episodes and a free playbook for Growth teams on our brand-new website — growthmates.club, and press follow to support us on your favorite platforms.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).In this episode, Kate speaks with Benjamin Humphrey, founder of Dovetail, who opens up about his shift from corporate design roles to the challenges and rewards of startup life. Benjamin's story began as a designer at Atlassian before taking the leap into the unknown to create Dovetail, a user-focused product built to simplify research and UX processes. He delves into the defining moments that guided his journey, as well as the challenges of moving from a structured corporate environment to the entrepreneurial world.—Dovetail's mission is to improve the quality of every thing through the power of customer insights. In only six years, Dovetail has grown to drive research innovation at over 3,700 organizations including big brands like Harvard Business, Universal, Deloitte, Porsche, Starbucks, Shopify, Atlassian, Shell and more. Dovetail was deployed early at global design software company Canva, who set up its customer insights hub. Canva's product team has used Dovetail since the very beginning to analyze customer research data, uncovering insights that improve their product's user experience. Try out and start collecting your insights here → www.dovetail.com—Brought to you by Command.ai — a user-focused platform offering an alternative to traditional popups or chatbots. Their AI “Copilot” answers questions, performs actions, and simplifies complex tasks. Use “Nudges” to guide users with timely, relevant messages, all within a no-code platform. Perfect for Product, Support, and Marketing teams to positively influence user behavior while respecting their needs:—Key highlights from this episode

Welcome to Growthmates with Kate Syuma — Growth advisor, previously Head of Growth Design at Miro. I'm building Growthmates as a place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Canva, Loom, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Get all episodes and a free playbook for Growth teams on our brand-new website — growthmates.club, and press follow to support us on your favorite platforms.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).In this episode, we chat with Yuriy Timen, Advisor Ex-Growth Gramnarly. Yuriy shares his inspiring journey from corporate roles to becoming a sought-after growth advisor. With eight years at Grammarly, Yuriy helped scale the company to half a billion in revenue, leading a team of over 40 people in marketing and growth product. Since moving into advisory roles, he's worked with over 35 companies, like Airtable, Canva, Whimsical, Flo Health, bringing invaluable growth insights. In our conversation, Yuriy delves into the challenges of shifting from corporate to advisory work, the importance of setting boundaries, and the mindset shifts essential for independent success.—Brought to you by Command.ai — a user-focused platform offering an alternative to traditional popups or chatbots. Their AI “Copilot” answers questions, performs actions, and simplifies complex tasks. Use “Nudges” to guide users with timely, relevant messages, all within a no-code platform. Perfect for Product, Support, and Marketing teams to positively influence user behavior while respecting their needs:—Key highlights from this episode

Welcome to Growthmates with Kate Syuma — Growth advisor, previously Head of Growth Design at Miro. I'm building Growthmates as a place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Canva, Loom, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Get all episodes and a free playbook for Growth teams on our brand-new website — growthmates.club, and press follow to support us on your favorite platforms.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).In this episode, we chat with Emily Campbell, VP of Design at HackerRank. Emily shares her fascinating journey, from starting in economics to leading design at HackerRank, where she focuses on creating design systems that integrate AI while maintaining a human-centered approach. She is also the founder of Women in AI and The Shape of AI, where she explores how AI is reshaping design, creativity, and human interaction. In this conversation, Emily dives deep into how AI can augment human potential, the ethical implications of AI in social media, and why maintaining a human-centered approach is critical as AI evolves.—Brought to you by Command.ai — a user-focused platform offering an alternative to traditional popups or chatbots. Their AI “Copilot” answers questions, performs actions, and simplifies complex tasks. Use “Nudges” to guide users with timely, relevant messages, all within a no-code platform. Perfect for Product, Support, and Marketing teams to positively influence user behavior while respecting their needs:—Key highlights from this episode

Welcome to Growthmates with Kate Syuma — Growth advisor, previously Head of Growth Design at Miro. I'm building Growthmates as a place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Canva, Loom, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Get all episodes and a free playbook for Growth teams on our brand-new website — growthamtes.club, and press follow to support us on your favorite platforms.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).In this episode, we chat with Randy, Head of Design at Notion. Join us as we explore Randy's incredible journey from crypto and coffee startups to becoming the Head of Design at Notion. He shares how he blends craftsmanship, simplicity, and user-centered design into Notion's core values. Randy also provides valuable insights into the balance of functionality and emotional design, his approach to building talent-dense teams, and how to foster creativity within high-performing groups.—Brought to you by Command.ai — a user-focused platform offering an alternative to traditional popups or chatbots. Their AI “Copilot” answers questions, performs actions, and simplifies complex tasks. Use “Nudges” to guide users with timely, relevant messages, all within a no-code platform. Perfect for Product, Support, and Marketing teams to positively influence user behavior while respecting their needs: —Key highlights from this episode

Welcome to Growthmates with Kate Syuma — Growth advisor, previously Head of Growth Design at Miro. I'm building Growthmates as a place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Canva, Loom, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Get all episodes and a free playbook for Growth teams on our brand-new website — growthamtes.club, and press follow to support us on your favorite platforms. Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).In this episode, I chat with Jason Giles — a VP of Product Design at UserTesting.com. We dove into his journey, from working as an electronic musician to becoming a leader in the tech industry. Jason shares his unique story about transitioning into the UX field during his time at Microsoft, his experiences with design leadership, and how human-centered design became his foundation. We also dive into the importance of research, debunking 3 myths about its cost and time, and Jason's insights into democratizing research within organizations.—Brought to you by Command.ai — a user-focused platform offering an alternative to traditional popups or chatbots. Their AI “Copilot” answers questions, performs actions, and simplifies complex tasks. Use “Nudges” to guide users with timely, relevant messages, all within a no-code platform. Perfect for Product, Support, and Marketing teams to positively influence user behavior while respecting their needs: https://command.ai/—Key highlights from this episode

Welcome to Growthmates with Kate Syuma — Growth advisor, previously Head of Growth Design at Miro. I'm building Growthmates as a place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Canva, Loom, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Get all episodes and a free playbook for Growth teams on our brand-new website — growthamtes.club, and press follow to support us on your favorite platforms. Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).In this episode, I chat with Enzo Avigo, CEO of June.so. We delve into the journey of product management and the shift from being a Product Manager at companies like Zalando and Intercom to becoming a Startup founder. Enzo shares his insights on the key differences between product management in large companies and startups, and how that experience shaped his approach to building June.so, a platform for B2B SaaS companies that provides customer analytics for product-focused teams. We discuss positioning, product-market fit, and how to align multiple aspects like brand, marketing, and product into what Enzo calls "Position Market Fit."—By the end of this episode, you'll gain insights on:- The transition from PM to Founder  - The role of design and user experience in creating a strong product position  - How to build a memorable product experience that stands out  - Practical examples of positioning, including how Enzo applies it at June.so  - Lessons learned on when to outsource brand work and when to handle it in-house—Brought to you by Command.ai — a user-focused platform offering an alternative to traditional popups or chatbots. Their AI “Copilot” answers questions, performs actions, and simplifies complex tasks. Use “Nudges” to guide users with timely, relevant messages, all within a no-code platform. Perfect for Product, Support, and Marketing teams to positively influence user behavior while respecting their needs: https://command.ai/— Self-Serve Onboarding course is coming back! Get 100€ off

Welcome to Growthmates with Kate Syuma — Growth advisor, previously Head of Growth Design at Miro. I'm building Growthmates as a place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Canva, Loom, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Get all episodes and a free playbook for Growth teams on our brand-new website — growthamtes.club, and press follow to support us on your favorite platforms. Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).—In this episode, I chat with Amy Bucher, Chief Behavioral Officer at Lirio and author of Engaged. We delve into the world of behavioral design, exploring how understanding human behavior can lead to more ethical and effective product development. Amy shares her journey from academia to leading behavioral design teams, and how frameworks like the COMBEE model and Behavior Change Wheel are essential tools for influencing user behavior.By the end of this episode, you'll learn how to apply behavioral science principles to your product, understand the importance of ethical design, and gain insights into leveraging AI for personalized user experiences

Welcome to Growthmates with Kate Syuma — Growth advisor, previously Head of Growth Design at Miro. I'm building Growthmates as a place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Canva, Loom, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Get all episodes and a free playbook for Growth teams on our brand-new website — growthamtes.club, and press follow to support us on your favorite platforms. Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).—In this episode, I chat with Jochem Van Der Veer, co-founder and CEO of TheyDo, about his journey from UX design to leading a successful B2B SaaS company. We dive into the triple diamond framework, customer obsession, and key strategies for scaling a product. By the end, you'll gain actionable insights on how to align business goals with customer outcomes and effectively grow your company.By the end of this episode, you'll learn about the triple diamond framework for design thinking, the importance of customer obsession, and practical strategies for scaling a B2B SaaS company

Welcome to Growthmates. This is Kate Syuma, Growth advisor, previously Head of Growth Design at Miro. I'm building Growthmates as a place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Canva, Loom and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Get all episodes and a free playbook for Growth teams on our brand-new website — growthamtes.club, and press follow to support us on your favorite platforms. Thanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).In this episode, I met Lena Kul — a seasoned design recruiter with vast experience at companies like N26, Miro, and now a User Researcher. Lena shares her journey from design recruitment to user research, providing valuable insights for anyone looking to shift careers or land a job in the current competitive market.By the end of this episode, you'll learn how to make your job search more effective, craft a compelling portfolio, and negotiate your worth confidently

Welcome to Growthmates. This is Kate Syuma, Growth advisor, previously Head of Growth Design at Miro. I'm building Growthmates as a place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Canva, Loom and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Get all episodes and a free playbook for Growth teams on our brand-new website — growthamtes.club, and press follow to support us on your favorite platforms. Thanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).In this episode, I met Bruno Berger — a VP of Design and Product Management who worked in companies like Google, Metabase, and now he's teaching “Design for PMs” on Reforge. We discuss Bruno's career journey, the integration of design and product management, and best practices for improving collaboration between designers and PMs. We also explored Bruno's strategies for combining design and product management to enhance team collaboration and project success.By the end of this episode, you can learn how to make your PM and Design collaboration better by adjusting the ways of working, building trust, and how to align faster to make it the most rewarding thinking partnership.This episode is supported by Appcues — the platform that helps you design, deploy, and test captivating onboarding experiences.Appcues created the Product Adoption Academy to help you level up your product adoption for free. Check out the template that I created to help companies uncover meaningful improvements. Find an example of Dropbox Onboarding inside and apply it to review any growth flows: appcues.com/growthmatesKey highlights from this episode that you can implement right away

Welcome to Growthmates. This is Kate Syuma, Growth advisor, previously Head of Growth Design at Miro. I'm building Growthmates as a place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Canva, Loom and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Get all episodes and a free playbook for Growth teams on our brand-new website — growthamtes.club, and press follow to support us on your favorite platforms. Thanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).In this episode, I met with Behzod Sirjani — a leader in Research space who worked in companies like Slack and Facebook, and currently supporting the broader community as an Advisor and Reforge partnerResearch is one of my favourite topics, and we discussed how different companies should approach: from Startup to Scale up. By the end of this episode, you can learn how to get customer insights even in a small team, when it's the right moment to bring a dedicated researcher, common mistakes, and how to scale the research forward.This episode is supported by Appcues — the platform that helps you design, deploy, and test captivating onboarding experiences.Appcues created the Product Adoption Academy to help you level up your product adoption for free. Check out the template that I created to help companies uncover meaningful improvements. Find an example of Dropbox Onboarding inside and apply it to review any growth flows: appcues.com/growthmatesKey highlights from this episode that you can implement right away

Welcome to Growthmates. This is Kate Syuma, Growth advisor, previously Head of Growth Design at Miro. I'm building Growthmates as a place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Canva, Loom and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Get all episodes and a free playbook for Growth teams on our brand-new website — growthamtes.club, and press follow to support us on your favorite platforms. Thanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).To celebrate the first Growthmates anniversary, we prepared a gift to our community — “The Holistic Playbook for Growth Teams”. It's a reflection of industry trends, in-depth interviews with our guests, and insights gathered from a hundred companies. You can get this playbook for free on our new website → growthmates.club. In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Andrew Capland, Coach for Heads of Growth, previously Director of Growth at Wistia, and one of the most supportive people I've recently met in the advising community. We explored some burning questions I recently used to survey 100 companies. I asked some of these questions to Andrew to get his wisdom.By the end of this episode, you can learn about new rituals to introduce in your Growth teamwork, the most impactful experiment on pricing from Wistia, and more ways to uncover Growth opportunities if you feel stuck.  If you find this show valuable, please share it with a colleague or friend — it greatly supports our efforts to continue creating it for you. To receive all episodes directly in your inbox, subscribe to growthamtes.club This episode is supported by Appcues — the platform that helps you design, deploy, and test captivating onboarding experiences.Appcues created the Product Adoption Academy to help you level up your product adoption for free. Check out the template that I created to help companies uncover meaningful improvements. Find an example of Dropbox Onboarding inside and apply it to review any growth flows: appcues.com/growthmatesKey highlights from this episode:* Challenges in Product-Led Growth: We discussed key growth challenges with Andrew from the recent industry research I facilitated with 100+ companies. He shared a bunch of insights and his practical experience from Wistia and works with clients.* Building Growth Processes: A practical ritual Andrew recommends is "Full Story Fridays," where teams review user interactions to identify valuable improvements.* Driving Monetization: At Wistia, Andrew led pricing experimentation efforts, which involved diverse strategies to adjust pricing structures and packaging (listen more in a full episode). * Acquiring New Users (No Sign-Up Required): Andrew cites examples of products that have interactive versions on their websites, allowing potential users to engage with the product directly and enhancing the conversion rates dramatically .* Improving Activation and User Onboarding: To define the "aha" moment in user onboarding, Andrew suggests starting with qualitative insights from users who have recently engaged meaningfully with the product or upgraded. * and much more!Follow Growthmates updates on:* NEW! Growthmates website with “The Holistic Growth Playbook”: https://growthmates.club * Substack Newsletter (for instant inbox delivery): https://katesyuma.substack.com/podcast* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthmates-podcast/* X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/kate_syuma* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmates_/Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Newsletter: katesyuma.substack.comWhere to find our guests:* Andrew Capland LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/ * Andrew's Newsletter “Delivering Value” on SubstackWhat we've covered in this episode:00:00 Journey from Growth Leader to Growth Coach08:49 Challenges and Successes in Product-Led Growth15:10 Building Growth Processes for Success25:38 Acquiring New Users and ICP25:53 Improving Activation and User Onboarding26:39 Navigating Growth Challenges: Defining Metrics and Research Methods31:42 Uncovering Growth Opportunities: Strategies and Tools36:41 The Role of Advisors and Consultants in Growth39:47 Building Growth Processes and Driving MonetizationResources Referenced:* “The Holistic Growth Playbook” with insights from 100+ companies, expert takes from Dropbox, Amplitude, Loom, and more: growthmates.club/playbook* "The Lean Startup" by Eric Ries: https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898* "Crossing the Chasm" by Geoffrey A. Moore: https://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Chasm-Marketing-High-Tech-Mainstream/dp/0060517123* "Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products" by Nir Eyal: https://www.amazon.com/Hooked-How-Build-Habit-Forming-Products/dp/1591847788* "Inspired: How To Create Products Customers Love" by Marty Cagan: https://www.amazon.com/Inspired-Create-Products-Customers-Love/dp/0981690408* Andrew's Newsletter “Delivering Value” on Substack: media.deliveringvalue.coThank you for listening! Subscribe to the show on growthmates.club and get free playbook with frameworks and insights. If you find this valuable, please share it with your friends and colleagues, and subscribe to this show on your favourite platforms to get new episodes. Let's keep growing together!For sponsorship and other inquiries reach out to hello@growthmates.club Thanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

Welcome to Growthmates — the place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Amplitude, Canva, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Subscribe to get all episodes right to your inbox on katesyuma.substack.com.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Janie Lee, Head of Product at Loom. We explored the evolution of Loom's growth strategy, especially post-acquisition by Atlassian. By the end of this episode, you can learn how to start performing as a new leader and build the Growth function, how to hire for Growth and Core product roles, and my favorite insight about the most impactful experiment for Loom in the last year.If you find this show valuable, please share it with one of your colleagues or friends — it gives huge support to continue creating it. To receive all episodes right in your inbox — subscribe to katesyuma.substack.com This episode is supported by Appcues — the platform that helps you design, deploy, and test captivating onboarding experiences.Appcues created the Product Adoption Academy to help you level up your product adoption for free. Check out the template that I created to help companies uncover meaningful improvements. Find an example of Dropbox Onboarding inside and apply it to review any growth flows: appcues.com/growthmatesKey highlights from this episode:* Strategic Use of Product Critiques at Loom: Janie Lee describes how Loom conducts strategic product reviews to evaluate high-stakes projects, using tools like Loom for efficient communication and decision-making, highlighting the importance of structured feedback.* Building Loom's Growth Team: Janie narrates the evolution of the growth team at Loom, starting from small-scale initiatives to establishing a dedicated growth team focused on customer journeys and business metrics, demonstrating the iterative process of growth strategy implementation.* Data-Informed Culture and Customer Insights: She discusses embedding a data-inforemd decision-making culture at Loom by creating a growth dashboard and prioritizing customer insights, which align product development closely with user needs and business objectives.* Core and Growth Teams: discussing differences in hiring approach and how both Core and Growth collaborated on some initiatives at Loom.* Most successful Growth experiment at Loom in the last 12 months: We discussed a significant growth experiment at Loom that adjusted anonymous viewer interactions, showcasing the trade-offs between enhancing user engagement and satisfying content creators, reflecting the nuanced decisions involved in growth strategy.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).Follow Growthmates updates on:* Substack Newsletter (for instant inbox delivery): https://katesyuma.substack.com/podcast* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthmates-podcast/* X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/kate_syuma* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmates_/Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Newsletter: katesyuma.substack.comWhere to find our guests:* Janie Lee, Head of Product at Loom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janiejlee/What we've covered in this episode:[01:11] A Day in the Life of a Product Director [03:27] Strategic Product Critiques [04:55] The Joy of Management [06:20] Path to Leadership [08:30] Early Days at Loom [11:33] Data-Driven Insights [19:39] Significant Impact Changes [23:01] Product-Led Acquisition Insights [24:52] Core vs. Growth Product Teams [28:34] Successful Partnerships in Product Development [31:15] Hiring for Product and Growth [37:31] Adapting to Acquisition by Atlassian: Growth Perspectives [41:34] Maintaining a Growth Mindset in Large Organizations [44:11] Navigating the New Corporate Landscape [46:38] Lightning Round: Unexpected InspirationsResources Referenced:* How to make an impact in your first 90 days by on :* Various Reforge courses: https://www.reforge.com/If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends. For sponsorship and other inquiries reach out to ekaterinasyuma@gmail.com.Subscribe to get more episodes right in your inbox: katesyuma.substack.comThanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

Welcome to Growthmates — the place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Amplitude, Canva, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Subscribe to get all episodes right to your inbox on katesyuma.substack.com.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).This time I had a chat with 2 fantastic leaders from SurveyMonkey — Brad, currently Director of Product, and Erica, who was a VP of Design and Research and recently started a new role at Intuit. Both Erica and Brad spent more than 7 years in the company, and we explored the evolution of Growth at SurveyMonkey over these years, and discussed significant chapters in the company's growth journey, including their legendary transition to a product-led growth model.My favorite part of the conversation was when Brad and Erica shared their expectations of ideal partnerships with each other, and how to build and maintain that partnership at a huge scale over the years.If you find this show valuable, please share it with one of your colleagues or friends — it gives huge support to continue creating it. To receive all episodes right in your inbox — subscribe to katesyuma.substack.com This episode is supported by Appcues — the platform that helps you design, deploy, and test captivating onboarding experiences.Appcues created the Product Adoption Academy to help you level up your product adoption for free. Check out the template that I created to help companies uncover meaningful improvements. Find an example of Dropbox Onboarding inside and apply it to review any growth flows: appcues.com/growthmatesKey highlights from this episode:* Optimization of Key Touchpoints: SurveyMonkey's significant growth was driven by the optimization of survey end pages and the homepage, which were critical in enhancing user engagement and conversion rates.* Product-Led Growth Transition: The company successfully transitioned to a product-led growth model, focusing on refining trial experiences, optimizing pricing structures, and improving conversion flows to better meet user needs and drive growth. Brad shared the evolution of Growth at SurveyMonkey since the time he joined and learned from . * Integral Role of Design and Research: Design and research functions were crucial in providing insights that drove the company's strategic decisions, fueling innovation and idea generation essential for growth.* Collaboration Between Product and Design Teams: Erica and Brad openly shared expectations towards each other on the episode — listen to this part! * Cultural Emphasis on Collaboration: we discussed the importance of incorporating collaborative practices like design rituals, which include peer critiques and shared design systems, to maintain alignment and visibility across teams.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).Follow Growthmates updates on:* Substack Newsletter (for instant inbox delivery): https://katesyuma.substack.com/podcast* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthmates-podcast/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmates_/Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Newsletter: katesyuma.substack.com* X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/kate_syumaWhere to find our guests:* Bradley Belford, Director of Product at SurveyMonkey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-belford/* Erica Weiss Tjader, ex-SurveyMonkey VP of Research and Design: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericatjader/What we've covered in this episode:[02:14] Welcoming Erica & Brad[06:02] SurveyMonkey Growth Chapters and Pivotal Moments[08:11] Transition to Product-Led Growth[10:15] Every Team as a Growth Team[17:19] Role of Design and Research in Strategic Moments[28:59] Product and Design Collaboration at Scale[37:10] Aligning User and Business Outcomes[43:41] Fostering Relationships Between Product and Design Functions[47:36] Balancing Deadlines and Iteration in Growth Initiatives[50:18] The Importance of Collaboration and Design Rituals[51:28] Resources and Key TakeawaysResources Referenced:* "Inspired: How To Create Tech Products Customers Love" by Marty Cagan: https://www.amazon.com/Inspired-Create-Tech-Products-Customers/dp/1119387507 * "Continuous Discovery Habits" by Teresa Torres: https://www.amazon.com/Continuous-Discovery-Habits-Discover-Products/dp/1736633309* "Empowered: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Products" by Marty Cagan: https://www.amazon.com/Empowered-Ordinary-Extraordinary-Products-Silicon/dp/111969129X* UX Collective Community: — a platform for product designers and UX practitioners to share insights, articles, and resources (I also published 2 articles on their Medium).If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends. For sponsorship and other inquiries reach out to ekaterinasyuma@gmail.com.Subscribe to get more episodes right in your inbox: katesyuma.substack.comThanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

Quick update

Quick update

Welcome to Growthmates — the place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Amplitude, Canva, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Subscribe to get all episodes right to your inbox on katesyuma.substack.com.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).This episode is supported by Appcues — the platform that helps you design, deploy, and test captivating onboarding experiences. Appcues created the Product Adoption Academy to help you level up your product adoption, and you can use it for free. Check out the template which I created to help companies connect growth hypotheses with behavioral patterns to uncover meaningful improvements. Find an example of Dropbox Onboarding inside and apply it to review any growth flows: appcues.com/growthmatesThis time we talked to Mohammed, formerly a Product lead on Apple Siri, Product Marketing Manager at Google, and currently a Co-founder of DesignPro. Mohammed shared his journey from studying at Stanford to building innovative products, and reflected on his time at Google and Apple, highlighting the different cultures and approaches to innovation. I felt so inspired after this conversation, especially when Mohammed shared how Steve Jobs entered their room to acquire Siri, how he embraced trial and error and be okay with failure, and how he uncovered that creativity is a fundamental aspect of human nature and should be prioritized in product development. Here are some highlights you can find in the episode:— Embrace trial and error and be okay with failure in the process of product design and development.— Customer obsession and understanding their desires and needs are crucial for successful innovation.— Timing is key in launching products, and being able to tell a compelling narrative is essential for engaging customers.— Creativity is a fundamental aspect of human nature and should be prioritized in product development.— Combining the disciplines of product design and product management can lead to more successful and innovative products.If you find this show valuable, please share it with one of your colleagues or friends — it gives huge support to continue creating it. To receive all episodes right in your inbox — subscribe to katesyuma.substack.com Share this episode with your like-minded colleagues and friends!Follow Growthmates updates on:* Substack Newsletter (for instant inbox delivery): https://katesyuma.substack.com/podcast* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthmates-podcast/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmates_/Where to find Mohammed Abdoolcarim (DesignPro, ex-Apple & Google):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mscarim/* DesignPro: https://designpro.ai/Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Newsletter: katesyuma.substack.com* X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/kate_syumaWhat we've covered in this episode:01:26 Studying at Stanford University03:09 Creating Products at Stanford04:44 Working at Google08:14 Building Siri and Joining Apple12:29 Apple's Unique Culture13:57 Combining Product Design and Product Management19:16 Apple's Approach to Building Products22:14 Adapting to the Trend of AI26:38 Transitioning to a Founder Role29:35 Creating DesignPro35:05 Balancing Creativity and Operational Tasks40:42 Fulfilling Creative Routine as a Founder43:09 Memorable Moments at Apple45:14 Book Recommendation: Shoe DogResources referenced:* 15% discount for Self-serve Onboarding course (starts on 15th of April!): https://maven.com/growth-course/self-serve-onboarding?promoCode=growthmates* How Innovation Works by Matt Ridley: https://www.amazon.com/How-Innovation-Works-Serendipity-Technology/dp/0062916599* Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull: https://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Overcoming-Unseen-Inspiration/dp/0812993012* Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight: https://www.amazon.com/Shoe-Dog-Memoir-Creator-Nike/dp/1501135929If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends. For sponsorship and other inquiries reach out to ekaterinasyuma@gmail.com.Subscribe to get more episodes right in your inbox: katesyuma.substack.comThanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

Welcome to Growthmates — the place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Amplitude, Canva, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Subscribe to get all episodes right to your inbox on katesyuma.substack.com.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).This episode is supported by Appcues — make your product adoption easy!Appcues is the platform that helps you design, deploy, and test captivating onboarding experiences. Appcues created the Product Adoption Academy to help you level up your product adoption, and you can use it for free. Check out the “5-step Growth Flow Review” template which I created to help companies connect growth hypotheses with behavioral patterns to uncover meaningful improvements. Find an example of Dropbox Onboarding inside the template and apply it to review any growth flows: appcues.com/growthmates Get a 15% discount for my Self-Service Onboarding courseIf you're keen on Mastering Product Growth and User onboarding, join the upcoming course starting on the 15th of April. You will get personal guidance to create a stellar onboarding experience and frameworks to turn it into live. Get a 15% discount with promo code “growthmates”. Learn more and get early access → https://maven.com/growth-course/self-serve-onboardingThis time we talked to Rob Litterst who is leading HubSpot media and Building an insightful newsletter about Pricing in SaaS. We discussed his journey from sales to writing, the emerging trend of employee-generated content and a lot of things connected to user-centric pricing. If you listen to this episode, you will learn about:— Unethical pricing practices we should avoid— Why companies started shifting from Freemium to speed up monetization— And a dozen newsletters that Rob recommends to stay informed on important industry newsIf you find this show valuable, please share it with one of your colleagues or friends — it gives huge support to continue creating it. To receive all episodes right in your inbox — subscribe to katesyuma.substack.com Follow Growthmates updates on:* Substack Newsletter (for instant inbox delivery): https://katesyuma.substack.com/podcast* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthmates-podcast/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmates_/Where to find Rob Litterst (HubSpot media):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roblitterst/* Newsletter: goodbetterbest.substack.comWhere to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Newsletter: katesyuma.substack.com* X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/kate_syumaWhat we've covered in this episode:00:00 Introduction and Background01:30 The Importance of Pricing in SaaS06:17 Employee-Generated Content11:15 Creating the Newsletter Good Better Best16:35 Introducing Newsletters in Companies34:14 Issues with Amazon Prime and Black Friday Strategies36:15 Ethical Pricing Practices38:04 Transparency in Pricing42:55 Trends in Pricing Pages50:05 The Rise of Subscription ModelsResources referenced:* 15% discount for Self-serve Onboarding course (starts on 15th of April!): https://maven.com/growth-course/self-serve-onboarding?promoCode=getteamdiscount* “Good Better Best” Newsletter: goodbetterbest.substack.com* Ben Thompson's Stratechery: https://stratechery.com/* Newsletter: https://www.packym.com/newsletter* Big Technology Newsletter: bigtechnology.com* James Clear's “The 3-2-1 Newsletter”: https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1* Chris Black's “How Long Gone” podcast* Pulling Weeds With Chris Black: https://www.gq.com/about/pulling-weeds-with-chris-blackIf you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends. For sponsorship and other inquiries reach out to ekaterinasyuma@gmail.com.Subscribe to get more episodes right in your inbox: katesyuma.substack.comThanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

Welcome to Growthmates — the place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Amplitude, Canva, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Subscribe to get all episodes right to your inbox on katesyuma.substack.com.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).This episode is supported by Appcues — make your product adoption easy!Appcues is the platform that helps you design, deploy, and test captivating onboarding experiences. Appcues created the Product Adoption Academy to help you level up your product adoption, and you can use it for free. Check out the “5-step Growth Flow Review” template which I created to help companies connect growth hypotheses with behavioral patterns to uncover meaningful improvements. Find an example of Dropbox Onboarding inside the template and apply it to review any growth flows.Get a 15% discount for my Self-Service Onboarding course If you're keen on Mastering Product Growth and User onboarding, join the upcoming course in April. You will get personal guidance to create a stellar onboarding experience and frameworks to turn it into live. Get a 15% discount before 15 March. Learn more and get early access → https://maven.com/growth-course/self-serve-onboardingThis time we talked to Matt Woods, a Product Manager focused on Product-led Growth, who helped companies like Coda increase key activation metrics by 60%, and introduce personalization experience that combines great UX and business impact. Matt also contributed to Reforge artifacts to share examples of his work as one of the earliest contributors to their program. Being a Product Manager, Matt has a fantastic website built with Coda full of insightful case studies. I personally learned so much from Matt, and if you listen to this episode, you will learn about:* The process of defining activation and aha-moment with examples from Coda* How connection to customers helped to uncover meaningful wins* The secrets behind collaboration between product managers and designers in Growth* and much moreIf you find our show valuable, please share it with your colleagues and friends. To receive all episodes right in your inbox — Subscribe to katesyuma.substack.com, your support means a lot. Follow Growthmates updates on:* Substack Newsletter (for instant inbox delivery): https://katesyuma.substack.com/podcast* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthmates-podcast/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmates_/Where to find Matt Woods (Product Leader, ex-Coda):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewchristopherwoods/* Website: https://portfolio.mattwoods.io/Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Newsletter: katesyuma.substack.com* X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/kate_syumaWhat we've covered in this episode:00:00 Introduction and Website Creation03:11 Learning and Mission Statement07:12 Coda's Success Factors10:07 Product-Led Growth and Experimentation14:32 Defining Activation and User Behavior Insights34:33 Building a Partnership35:23 Challenges in Working Together36:23 Trust and Inclusion37:34 Understanding Motivations38:31 Embracing Collaboration39:44 Overcoming Communication Issues42:25 Fostering Creativity50:26 Building Healthy Partnerships56:25 Favorite Artifact: $100 Voting58:41 Favorite Book: Setting the TableResources referenced:* Reforge Artifact “Weekly outcomes update message at Coda”: https://www.reforge.com/artifacts/weekly-outcomes-update-message-at-coda* Welcome doc onboarding: https://portfolio.mattwoods.io/case-studies-how-i-work-3* 100-Dollar Voting Exercise: https://coda.io/@lshackleton/100-dollar-voting-exercise* “Radical Candor” by Kim Scott: https://www.amazon.com/-/en/Kim-Scott/dp/1250103509* “Managing Humans” by Michael Lopp: https://www.amazon.com/Managing-Humans-Humorous-Software-Engineering/dp/1430243147* “Setting the Table” by Danny Meyer: https://www.amazon.com/Setting-Table-Transforming-Hospitality-Business/If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends. For sponsorship and other inquiries reach out to ekaterinasyuma@gmail.com.Subscribe to get more episodes right in your inbox: katesyuma.substack.comThanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

Welcome to Growthmates — the place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Amplitude, Canva, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Subscribe to get all episodes right to your inbox on katesyuma.substack.com.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).Exciting announcement! If you're keen on Mastering Product Growth and User onboarding, join the upcoming course in April. You will get personal guidance to create a stellar onboarding experience and frameworks to turn it into live. Get a 10% discount before 15 March.Learn more and get early access → https://maven.com/growth-course/self-serve-onboardingThis time we talked to Emily Wang, CEO of Bento, previously Product Manager on Growth Team at Intercom.  Emily shared her authentic story of becoming a founder, the role of leadership, creating a company culture, and building a strong team. Our conversation went beyond that, and we also discussed: * What's The Right Time to Introduce Experimentation* Why Killing Features is necessary to grow and evolve your product * Why the PLG model sometimes is not the right fit, and what we all should be aware of in the current market landscape If you find our show valuable, please share it with your colleagues and friends, and leave us a good review.Follow Growthmates updates on:* Substack Newsletter (for instant inbox delivery): https://katesyuma.substack.com/podcast* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthmates-podcast/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmates_/Where to find Emily Wang, CEO of Bento:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyyidanwang/ * Website: https://www.trybento.co/Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Newsletter: https://katesyuma.substack.com* X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/kate_syumaWhere to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscar_towers_/What we've covered in this episode:00:00 Emily's Mission to Start Bento03:46 Emily's Personal Mental Model Shift05:00 The Importance of Building a Company10:00 Understanding Different Parts of a Company12:14 The Right Time to Introduce Experimentation15:00 The Role of Leadership in Company Building16:44 Killing Features and Simplifying the Product17:12 Balancing Product and Design Team Priorities20:00 Creating a Company Culture22:32 Product-Led Growth and Finding the Right Fit25:00 Building a Strong Team30:00 Effective Communication within a Company34:47 Shifts in the Macro Environment and Impact on Product Growth40:00 Balancing Short-Term and Long-Term Goals47:33 Onboarding vs Everboarding45:00 Conclusion51:03 Where to Connect with EmilyResources referenced:* Get a 10% discount for the Maven course on Onboarding and Activation before 15th March: https://maven.com/growth-course/self-serve-onboarding* Behind the Cloud, Mark Benioff: https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Dollar-Company/* Leadership and Self-Deception, The Arbinger Institute: https://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Self-Deception-Getting-Out-Box/If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends. For sponsorship and other inquiries reach out to ekaterinasyuma@gmail.com.Subscribe to get more episodes right in your inbox: katesyuma.substack.comThanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

Exciting announcement! If you're keen on Mastering Product Growth and User onboarding, join the upcoming course in April. You will get personal guidance to create a stellar onboarding experience and frameworks to turn it into live. Get a 15% discount for your team (most value for PM + Product Designer together). Learn more and get early access → https://maven.com/forms/2c51ccWelcome to Growthmates — the place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Amplitude, Canva, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Subscribe to get all episodes right to your inbox on katesyuma.substack.com.Listen now on Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).In this conversation, we invited Phil Vander Broek, Co-Founder at Dopt, previously Head of Growth and Business Platform Design at Dropbox. We decided to talk about User Onboarding and unpack all the truth we know about it. From this episode, you can learn: * How Dropbox approached User Onboarding and what they learned from experimenting with that* How Growth and Core teams collaboration looked at Dropbox* What Rituals can help in building a Growth Culture* and Best practices for User Onboarding from research with more than 80 companies. Beyond the Dropbox story, Phill shared his transition to becoming a Co-Founder at Dopt,  and how his design background helped him play a founder role. If you find it valuable, please share it with your network and leave us a good review. Follow Growthmates podcast updates on:* Substack Newsletter (for instant inbox delivery): https://katesyuma.substack.com/podcast* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthmates-podcast/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmates_/Where to find Phil Vander Broek, Co-Founder at Dopt:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipvanderbroek/ * Website: https://www.dopt.com/Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Newsletter: https://katesyuma.substack.com* X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/kate_syumaWhere to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscar_towers_/What we've covered in this episode:01:20 Approach to User Onboarding at Dropbox04:12 Surprising Behavioral Insights from User Onboarding Experiments11:57 Collaboration between Growth and Core Teams13:23 Rituals for Alignment and Building a Growth Culture21:44 Industry Trends in User Onboarding34:05 Transition to Entrepreneurship and Creating DOPT44:07 Insights and Learnings as a Founder46:28 The Connection Between AI and User Onboarding47:16 Favorite Example of User Onboarding47:29 Interactive Guides50:10 Tooltips vs Checklists51:10 Recommended Resources53:08 ConclusionResources referenced:* Product Led Onboarding playbook: https://blog.dopt.com/product-led-onboarding-playbook * The State of User Onboarding — report from 80+ companies: https://onboard.report/* The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick: https://www.momtestbook.com/* How to determine your activation metric from * I bet you are doing product activation all wrong from * Get early access to the Maven course on Onboarding and Activation (15% discount for teams): https://maven.com/forms/2c51cc If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends. For sponsorship and other inquiries reach out to ekaterinasyuma@gmail.com.Subscribe to get more episodes right in your inbox: katesyuma.substack.comThanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

We're happy to welcome you on the Season 2 of the Growthmates podcast where we will dive into insightful conversations with leaders from Amplitude, Canva, Intercom, Coda, HubSpot, and more to come. If you enjoy our show — subscribe to get all episodes right to your inbox on katesyuma.substack.com. Listen now on Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).In this conversation we invited Thom Rimmer, a design leader at Intercom, to discuss the importance of a design-led culture and user-centricity. Thom provides insightful perspectives on the pivotal role of design principles and rituals in the creation of top-tier products like Intercom. Thom also explains Intercom's transparent roadmap and how it helps create a company-wide commitment to customer satisfaction. The conversation delves into the shift toward product-led growth and the challenges of experimentation and optimization. We also explored the adoption of AI and machine learning, with a focus on leveraging these technologies to enhance customer service. Finally, Thom emphasizes the significance of mentorship and leadership in personal and professional growth. The conversation covers topics such as building internal connections and mentorship, inspiring advice and quotes, books for building a design culture, and fun team rituals to maintain a thriving culture.Some Takeaways:* Design-led culture and user-centricity are essential for creating products in a highly competitive market.* Transparent roadmaps help to create a company-wide commitment to customer satisfaction.* The shift towards product-led growth requires deeper attention to product quality.* AI and machine learning can enhance customer service and improve efficiency.* Mentorship and leadership are valuable for personal and professional growth. Building internal connections and mentorship is important for designers within an organization.* Anyone can be a mentor, regardless of their level of experience.* Having someone outside of your company to mentor you can provide a fresh perspective.* Setting weekly goals and holding yourself accountable can help build a strong design culture, and there's an Intercom approach that Thom also shared in the episode.Follow Growthmates podcast updates on:* Substack Newsletter (for instant inbox delivery): https://katesyuma.substack.com/* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthmates-podcast/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmates_/Where to find Thomas Rimmer, Design Director at Intercom:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-rimmer-73903030/ * Website: https://www.thomrimmer.co.uk/Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Newsletter: https://katesyuma.substack.com/* X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/kate_syumaWhere to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscar_towers_/What we've covered in this episode:00:00 Introduction and Design-Led Culture06:01 Design Principles and Culture at Intercom08:15 Emphasis on Quality and Unique Rituals11:12 Roadmap Transparency and Customer Commitment15:08 Shared Understanding of Quality Bar17:34 User-Centricity and Customer Exposure19:30 Involving Engineers in User Research22:56 Shift to Product-Led Growth32:18 Adapting to AI and Machine Learning43:06 Mentorship and Leadership46:10 Building Internal Connections and Mentorship48:36 Lightning Round49:10 Inspiring Advice and Quotes49:43 Books for Building Design Culture50:39 Fun Team Rituals53:21 How to Connect with Thom RimmerResources referenced:* Roger Martin, “The Design of Business”: https://rogerlmartin.com/lets-read/the-design-of-business * Tim Brown, “Change by Design”: https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organizations-Innovation/dp/0061766089* Reed Hastings, “No Rules Rules”: https://www.amazon.com/No-Rules-Netflix-Culture-Reinvention/dp/1984877860If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends. For sponsorship and other inquiries reach out to ekaterinasyuma@gmail.com. Subscribe to get more episodes right in your inbox: katesyuma.substack.comThanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new episodes and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

We're happy to welcome you on the Season 2 of the Growthmates podcast where we will dive into insightful conversations with leaders from Amplitude, Canva, Intercom, Coda, HubSpot, and more to come. If you enjoy our show — subscribe to get all episodes right to your inbox on katesyuma.substack.com. Listen now on Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).In this episode, Iain Dowling, Growth Design Leader at Canva, shares insights into his career path and the culture at Canva. He discusses the growth of Canva and the significant changes he has witnessed during his 6 years at the company. Iain also explains the transition from individual contributor to manager and the importance of coaching at Canva. He highlights the 4 pillars of Canva's growth and development framework and the training provided to coaches. Iain discusses the influence of designers on Canva's culture and the role of the “Vibe Team” in creating a positive work environment. He also shares insights into hiring for growth teams and the importance of effective one-on-one meetings. In this conversation, Iain discusses the importance of effective communication and provides valuable insights on building strong relationships, active listening, non-verbal communication, and overcoming communication challenges.Some Takeaways:* Canva has experienced significant growth over the years, but has maintained its core values and culture.* Coaching is an integral part of Canva's leadership approach, focusing on the growth and development of team members.* Canva's growth team is organized around key metrics, such as monthly active users (MAU) and annualized recurring revenue (ARR).* The “Vibe Team” at Canva plays a crucial role in creating and maintaining a positive and engaging work culture.* Hiring for growth teams requires individuals with a data mindset, an interest in user flows, and a focus on impact and iteration. Effective communication is crucial for personal and professional success.* Building strong relationships requires open and honest communication.* Active listening and empathy are essential skills for effective communication.* Non-verbal communication plays a significant role in conveying messages.* Overcoming communication challenges requires patience, understanding, and adaptability.Follow Growthmates podcast updates on:* Substack Newsletter (for instant inbox delivery): https://katesyuma.substack.com/* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthmates-podcast/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmates_/Where to find Iain Dowling, Growth Design Lead at Canva:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/idowling/Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Newsletter: https://katesyuma.substack.com/* X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/kate_syumaWhere to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscar_towers_/What we've covered in this episode:00:00 Introduction and Background01:20 Becoming a Growth Design Leader at Canva02:26 The Growth of Canva04:41 Transitioning from Individual Contributor to Manager06:21 The Role of Coaching at Canva08:30 The Four Pillars of Canva's Growth and Development Framework09:25 Training for Coaches at Canva10:41 The Influence of Designers on Canva's Culture15:59 The Growth of Canva18:36 Establishing the Growth Team at Canva21:55 Organizational Structure of the Growth Team25:16 The North Star Metrics for the Growth Team28:10 Introducing Magic Studio and AI at Canva35:19 The Role of the Vibe Team in Creating Canva's Culture38:53 Factors for High-Performing Growth Teams42:56 Recognizing Growth Talent and Hiring for Growth Teams47:51 Effective One-on-One Meetings and Team Bonding51:36 Favorite Book on Team Culture54:12 Closing Remarks and Contact Information02:30 The Importance of Effective Communication10:00 Building Strong Relationships20:00 Active Listening and Empathy30:00 Non-Verbal Communication40:00 Overcoming Communication Challenges50:00 ConclusionResources referenced:* Simon Sinek, “Leaders Eat Last”: https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-eat-last/ * Sam Harris's “Waking Up” app: https://www.wakingup.com/* "Growth and Development 12 Skills" framework — coming soon in a follow-up article! If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends. For sponsorship and other inquiries reach out to ekaterinasyuma@gmail.comSubscribe to get more episodes right in your inbox: katesyuma.substack.comThanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

We're happy to welcome you on the Season 2 of the Growthmates podcast where we will dive into insightful conversations with leaders from Amplitude, Canva, Intercom, Coda, HubSpot, and more to come. If you enjoy our show — subscribe to get all episodes right to your inbox on katesyuma.substack.com.—In this episode, I talked to Jenny Chang, interim Head of Design at Amplitude, who shared her insights and experiences on transitioning from an individual contributor to a manager and the mindset shifts required to become a leader. In the first part of the conversation, we discussed the key challenges we encountered while transitioning from IC to a Manager and emphasized on the importance of maintaining well-being during career growth. Later in our conversation, we discussed the role of data in decision-making, the need for a data-informed culture, and the collaboration between stakeholders and data teams. Jenny also provides tips for making data meetings engaging and suggests questions that designers should ask their data analysts to build a more informed user experience. Jenny concludes by recommending books and resources for further exploration that you can find below in the episode description.Some Takeaways:* Transitioning from an individual contributor to a manager requires a mindset shift and the ability to let go of hands-on work.* Maintaining well-being is crucial during career growth, and prioritizing health can lead to better career outcomes.* Data should be used by everyone in a product team, not just data analysts, and collaboration between stakeholders and data teams is essential.* Engaging data meetings can be achieved by incorporating visualizations, session replay tools, and creating a collaborative environment.* Designers should ask data analysts about the most engaged users and their actions within the product to better inform the user journeys. Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. Follow the podcast updates on: * Substack Newsletter (for instant inbox delivery): https://katesyuma.substack.com/* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthmates-podcast/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmates_/Where to find Jenny Chng, interim Head of Design (Amplitude):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejennychang/ Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Newsletter: https://katesyuma.substack.com/* X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/kate_syuma Where to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscar_towers_/What we've covered in this episode: 00:00 Introduction and Background06:11 Transitioning from IC to Manager14:20 Mindset Shifts for Becoming a Leader18:12 Maintaining Well-being During Career Growth25:13 Data-Informed Culture and Who Should Use Data29:22 Collaboration Between Stakeholders and Data Teams36:00 Engaging Data Meetings46:24 Data Questions for Designers49:22 Surprising Data Insights51:36 Recommended Resources51:53 Conclusion and Contact InformationResources referenced: * Zhou, “The Making of a Manager”: https://www.amazon.com/Making-Manager-What-Everyone-Looks/dp/0735219567* Scott Belsky, “The Messy Middle”: https://www.amazon.com/Messy-Middle-Finding-Through-Hardest/dp/0735218072/* C. Pam Zhang, “Land of Milk and Honey”: https://www.amazon.com/Land-Milk-Honey-Pam-Zhang/dp/0593538242/If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends. For sponsorship and other inquiries reach out to ekaterinasyuma@gmail.com Subscribe to get more episodes right in your inbox: katesyuma.substack.comThanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and get all new episodes right in your inbox. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

About a year ago, we launched Growthmates to connect with like-minded folks and share personal and professional growth stories. Since then, we published 10+ episodes with fantastic leaders from Dropbox, Miro, Pinterest, Adobe, Atlassian, and season 2 is coming in January 2024!As we wrap up this year, we created a special episode where Oscar and I dive into a genuine, reflective conversation — something we've never done before on the podcast. We'll spill the details on:* who we are today* how 2023 transformed us personally and professionally * new habits we've adopted to support wellbeing* reflection on my last 6 years at Miro* my move from Miro to a solo journey* and our aspirations for 2024.It's a raw, open dialogue that I believe is crucial to carry into the next year and the future of our podcast. After the holidays, we'll be back with Season 2, featuring fantastic leaders from Amplitude, Canva, Coda, Dropbox, Intercom, HubSpot, and more.Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Website: https://katesyuma.substack.com/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katusyuma/Where to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscar_towers_/If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends.Subscribe to get more episodes right in your inbox: katesyuma.substack.comThanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

In this episode, we go beyond the surface and dive deep into the art of balancing velocity and quality when it comes to designing digital products. As part of one of the industry-leading tech companies, Adam Furness, our Guest today has a wealth of experience in navigating the intricate landscape of design and development.One of the highlights of our conversation is Adam's unique framework called "Good, Better, Best," where he reveals how Atlassian prioritizes what to ship next. This invaluable approach allows them to strike the perfect balance between shipping fast while optimizing for business and customer value.But that's not all! Adam generously shares the frameworks he employs for his personal growth within the company. Whether you're a seasoned designer or just starting your journey, these insights are sure to leave you with a fresh perspective on continuous improvement and career development.This is the last episode of Growthmates seasson 1. We want to thank everyone who listened to us, sent us feedback and gave us reviews in Apple podcasts and of course, to the 10 amazing guest we had on this first seasson.We'll be back at the end of September with season 2. Please, keep sending us your feedback to growthmates@substack.com so we can improve the format of the podcast.Resources mentioned:* Atomic habits - James ClearWhere to find Adam Furness* Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamfurnessdesign/Where to find Kate Syuma, Head of Growth Design at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Blog: https://medium.com/@kate_syuma* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katusyuma/* Website: https://katesyuma.com/Where to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscar_towers_/If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends, and give us a good review or send us your feedback to growthmates@substack.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit growthmates.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

Today we had a very deep and balanced conversation Verna Bhargava, Senior Experience Design Manager at Growth in Adobe. We unpacked the topic of vulnerability for leaders and individuals who are constantly trying to achieve high results for themselves and their companiesJoin this conversation to hear about how Growth is organised at Adobe, what frameworks help to find space for innovation, and how vulnerability can help you build a stronger team culture.If you enjoy this episode, don't forget to share it with your friends and give us a good review.Resources mentioned:* The Emergence of a Growth Designer: https://adobe.design/stories/leading-design/the-emergence-of-the-growth-designer* Radical Candor, Kim Scott* The Making of a Manager, Julie Zhuo* Dare to Lead, Brene Brown* Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert* The Artist's Way, Julia CameronWhere to find Verna Bhargava, Sr. Experience Design manager, Growth at Adobe express:* Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verna-bhargava/Where to find Kate Syuma, Head of Growth Design at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Blog: https://medium.com/@kate_syuma* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katusyuma/* Website: https://katesyuma.com/Where to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscar_towers_/If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends, and give us a good review or send us your feedback to growthmates@substack.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit growthmates.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

Today we're going to dive deep into the topic of UX research and explore how it plays a crucial role in driving growth within Miro.We're happy to welcome a man which we have the pleasure to work with, Andrej Balaz, UXR at Miro who will share with us some of the fascinating insights and practices he employs to conduct UX research in the growth field.Stay with us to hear about building a UXR culture in an Hyper-growth stage company, what are those unique things about running research at Miro, and some tips and best practices in that field.Resources mentioned:* www.elicit.org* Book: On the Self Regulation of Behavior – Charles S. Carver and Michael F. Scheier* Book : The New Economics - W. Edwards DemingWhere to find Andrej Balaz, Staff UX researcher at Miro:* Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrejbalaz/Where to find Kate Syuma, Head of Growth Design at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Blog: https://medium.com/@kate_syuma* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katusyuma/* Website: https://katesyuma.com/Where to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscar_towers_/If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends, and give us a good review or send us your feedback to growthmates@substack.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit growthmates.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

In this episode we have none other than Lex Roman, the founder of Super Easy Digital and the Growth Tracker community, but most important, Lex is one of the true pioneers in the field of Growth Design.We dived into Lex's inspiring transition from a comfortable job in the tech industry to embarking on the path of solopreneurship. Leaving behind the security of established companies such as Invision, Carbon five and The Black Tux to name a few.Lex shared with us the importance of focusing on real problems and what should the term "Delightfulness" actually mean when it comes to create user experiences.Learn more about Lex at https://supereasydigital.comTake Lex's course on getting clients and use code GROWTHMATES for a special discount https://supereasydigital.com/getmoreleadsBecome a Growthtracker: https://supereasydigital.com/growthtrackersFollow Lex on Instagram @supereasydoesit https://instagram.com/supereasydoesitResources mentioned:* Lex article about Growth Design written in 2018: https://medium.com/criticalpath/what-is-a-growth-designer-1b342d55a358* The story of Slawsa: https://www.sharktankblog.com/business/slawsa/Where to find Kate Syuma, Head of Growth Design at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Blog: https://medium.com/@kate_syuma* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katusyuma/* Website: https://katesyuma.com/Where to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscar_towers_/If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends, and give us a good review or send us your feedback to growthmates@substack.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit growthmates.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

In this episode we had Zander Whitehurst, Founder of Memorisely, ex. UX Designer at HotJar and an owner of an enormous design community. If you've seen his "Supafast" reels on Instagram — You know this is Zander.During our discussion, Zander shared his remarkable journey and the challenges he encountered when transitioning from a comfortable full-time job to a Founder role, and how his design background played a pivotal role in establishing his own business.Furthermore, we dove into the future of education and explored the significance of bootcamps within it. We also talked about effective methods for continuous learning, personal growth, and the cultivation of community throughout this journey.Where to find Zander:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zanderwhitehurst/* Memorisely: https://www.memorisely.com/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zanderwhitehurst/Resources mentioned:* The power of now: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenment/dp/1577314808* Just enough research: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Enough-Research-Erika-Hall/dp/1937557103Where to find Kate Syuma, Head of Growth Design at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Blog: https://medium.com/@kate_syuma* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katusyuma/* Website: https://katesyuma.com/Where to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer (Growth) at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends, and give us a good review or send us your feedback to growthmates@substack.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit growthmates.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

Allen shared with us his journey into design, starting more than 20 years ago and working in top companies such as Google, Facebook, Apple and Ebay. He's been for 4 years now at Pinterest, where he manages the growth design team. We also dived into the current state of Growth Design on tech companies and talked about the future of this role.On the second half of our conversation, Kate and Allen shared the challenges they both faced when transitioning from IC's to Managers, and dived into some of the learnings they've made so far.Where to find Allen:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allenjordan/* Website: http://allenjordan.com/* Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.es/allenjordanWhere to find Kate Syuma, Head of Growth Design at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Blog: https://medium.com/@kate_syuma* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katusyuma/* Website: https://katesyuma.com/* Twitter: https://twitter.com/kate_syumaWhere to find Oscar Torres:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends, and give us a good review or send us your feedback to growthmates@substack.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit growthmates.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

Priya Bhatia is a Growth Product Manager at 7Shifts. We started our conversation with unpacking her story of becoming a Product Manager in Growth, and discussed collaboration with product design and how to make it impactful. Then we landed on some crucial topics such as maintaining wellbeing and mental health in a high-paced environment, and even reflected on our recent experience of practicing silent meditation and vipassana.We hope that this part of our conversation can inspire you to try out some of the practices that can help you grow, feel well, both personally and professionally.Where to find Priya:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyabhatia0210/* Newsletter: Where to find Kate Syuma, Head of Growth Design at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Blog: https://medium.com/@kate_syuma* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katusyuma/* Website: https://katesyuma.com/* Twitter: https://twitter.com/kate_syumaWhere to find Oscar Torres:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends, and give us a good review or send us your feedback to growthmates@substack.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit growthmates.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

Ioana Teleanu is a UX Manager at Miro, founder of UX Goodies Community and ex. founder of Mento Design Academy. Ioana shared with us her fascinating story of building a personal brand, creating and sunsetting her own businesses and growing through that experience.We delved into topics such as finding balance between side projects and a full-time job, growing a design community to over 220k people, the process of growing and exiting a design school, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance amidst it all. Additionally, we explored the impact of AI on the design world. Tune in to discover insights and inspiration from this engaging conversation![07:23] Staring the design community[08:40] Sunsetting your own business[13:57] Balancing work and side projects[15:58] Work-life balance in tech[18:30] Building yourself as a brand and dealing with vulnerability[30:00] Journey at UiPath[36:00] What role do you think AI will play in tech[47:52] Where to find inspirationWhere to find Ioana:* UX goodies: https://www.instagram.com/uxgoodies/* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ioanateleanu/Where to find Kate Syuma, Head of Growth Design at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Blog: https://medium.com/@kate_syuma* Twitter: https://twitter.com/kate_syuma* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katusyuma/* Website: https://katesyuma.com/Where to find Oscar Torres:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/Resources mentioned:* Ben's bites newsletter: https://www.bensbites.co/* Visual Explanations, Edward R. Tufte: https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Explanations-Quantities-Evidence-Narrative/dp/1930824157Reach out to us for feedback or a potential podcast partnership → growthmates@googlegroups.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit growthmates.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

Joey Thompson is a Product Designer, Growth at Miro. Joey shared his personal growth story with us, transition from an opera singer to UX designer and how he developed his passion for behavioural design.Our discussion turned into a thought-provoking roundtable where we explored cognitive psychology principles, dark patterns, and bright patterns, and discussed examples from products like linking Duolingo, TikTok, and many more.What's inside:[02:57] Joey's transition from opera singer to UX and Growth designer[14:36] What is Behavioural design?[17:30] How Duolingo is using "boost" principles[30:16] Discussing "Hick's law" as one of behavioural principles[36:26] Where you can find "Dark patterns"[49:37] Bright patterns: Procreate, TikTok, Midjourney[1:03:00] Recommendations for inspirationWhere to find Joey Thompson:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephfordthompson/* Twitter: https://twitter.com/jfordthompsonWhere to find Kate Syuma, Head of Growth Design at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Blog: https://medium.com/@kate_syuma* Twitter: https://twitter.com/kate_syuma* Website: https://katesyuma.com/Where to find Oscar Torres:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/Resources mentioned:* Hooked by Nir Eyal: https://www.amazon.nl/-/en/Nir-Eyal/dp/0241184835/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3NEVI274VXSF6&keywords=hooked&qid=1680364867&sprefix=hooked%2Caps%2C90&sr=8-2* Growth.design | The Psychology of Design: https://growth.design/psychology* Engaged: Designing for Behavior Change by Amy Bucher: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/engaged-designing-for-behavior-change/Reach out to us for feedback or a potential podcast partnership → growthmates@googlegroups.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit growthmates.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com

We were talking about building happy teams, growing as a Product manager in Growth, how to create the best partnership with product designers, and how to shift the mindset of the company to be more growth-oriented.Here's what we covered:[02:34] Willie's story of becoming a Growth PM[06:02] Coming back to Dropbox and shift to Growth mindset[16:48] How to keep up the high energy in the team[26:15] Collaboration between Product Manager and Product designer[37:20] Successful experiments are not always the most "sexy" solutions[43:35] Building and defining happy teams[53:02] Shaping the culture of Core teams to Growth[1:00:00] Start applying the atomic habitsWhere to find Willie Tran:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willietran/Where to find Kate Syuma, Head of Growth Design at Miro:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/Twitter: https://twitter.com/kate_syumaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/katusyuma/Website: https://katesyuma.com/Where to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer at Miro:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/Reach out to us for feedback or a potential podcast partnership → growthmates@googlegroups.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit growthmates.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katesyuma.substack.com